Scorpius (Farscape)
Scorpius is a central character and the primary antagonist in the space opera TV series, Farscape. A high-ranking Peacekeeper commander and scientist, he was born a hybrid of the reptilian Scarrans and the humanoid Sebaceans - making him an anomaly in the notoriously anti-hybrid Peacekeepers. Enslaved and abused throughout his childhood as part of an experimental program conducted by the Scarran Imperium, Scorpius has developed a deep and abiding hatred for all Scarrans; his ultimate goal is to take revenge on the entire species, ideally via their total extermination. To that end, he is obsessed with harnessing wormholes as weapons of mass destruction, which he believes to be the key to granting the Peacekeepers a military advantage over the Scarrans. Upon discovering the wormhole knowledge locked away in the mind of series protagonist John Crichton, Scorpius is driven to capture Crichton and extract the data by any means necessary. While he is portrayed as a straightforward villain in the first two seasons, over the course of seasons three and four he ends up evolving into more of an anti-hero, eventually joining the crew of Moya. However, even then, he has an understandably strained relationship with Crichton, who continues to view him as a nemesis. He is portrayed by Wayne Pygram (except for flashbacks to his younger self, where he is played by Evan Sheaves) and appears in all seasons of the show and the post-cancellation TV miniseries The Peacekeeper Wars. Personality At first glance, Scorpius appears cold, arrogant, relentless and ruthless - a not altogether inaccurate perspective; however, Scorpius has shown a softer side more than once, and though he remains a dangerous and not-entirely trustworthy figure, he is a far more multfaceted character than first impressions suggest. He demonstrates compassion for the stranded calcivore M'Lee; he treats his underlings well, rewarding them and listening to their input, only resorting to a summary execution once in the show - in the case of the infamously incompetent Project Leader Drillic; he even displays love to those he has come to genuinely care for, such as Sikozu, Braca and to Natira - though he will still sacrifice them as readily as he sacrifices his own soldiers if the plan at hand requires it. Scorpius also honestly loves his biological mother, even though they never met, and is consumed by anger at what the Scarrans did to both of them. However, despite his kinder aspects, Scorpius is still a merciless and calculating schemer, and to those not closely associated with him, the only consistent merit he presents is his pragmatism: over the course of the series, he is observed to lie, cheat, steal, abandon allies, tell the truth, kill in cold blood, save lives, risk his life, torture people, torture himself, risk the lives of others, use himself as a shield, desert his Peacekeeper post, and completely humiliate himself to achieve his ends. Scorpius will do quite literally anything to accomplish his goals, making him one of the most driven and dangerous individuals in the entire series. As his "gimp-suit" implies, Scorpius has a penchant for sadomasochism, for along with his violent sexual trysts with Sikozu and Natira, he seems to actually enjoy being made to endure pain: during his sparring session with Katoya in "Mental As Anything," he is disappointed to end the match just as he was starting to enjoy being made to suffer; while being tortured by War Minister Akhna, he waggles his tongue at her and jokes that he's been searching for "a female like you" for his entire life; he even manages to shrug off the attempts at disabling him via the I-Yensch bracelets, at one point stabbing himself through the hand just to disarm Crichton. He also seems to be omnisexual in nature, as he is willing to "frell" whoever he comes in contact with, regardless of gender or species, making flirtatious advances on Braca and sometimes even Crichton while still carrying on relationships with Natira and Sikozu. Scorpius is somewhat ashamed of his monstrous half-Scarran heritage, and makes a point of being very polite and precise at all times, speaking very softly and gently in conversations, not raising his voice even when angered. Only in rare moments of extreme rage does his self-control slip, revealing the inhuman growl of a Scarran's voice. On these occasions, Scorpius will afterwards become very embarrassed with himself for such shows of weakness. Powers And Skills Despite the disabilities his hybrid physiology has forced upon him, Scorpius still possesses several beneficial traits as a result of his Scarran-Sebacean ancestry: as has been mentioned, his energy vision allows him to detect lies and recognize species quite easily. He is also remarkably strong, capable of casually snapping a Sebacean's neck, flinging Crichton and Crais around his office like ragdolls, and opening one of Moya's prison doors with his bare hands (or as he puts it, with his gloved hands). Much like full-blooded Scarrans, he is capable of incredible feats of resilience, being able to withstand being shot in the back at point-blank range - and being buried alive; he has survived being without coolant rods more than once, and even withstood having the entire coolant mechanism ripped out of his head. For good measure, he is also able to endure and even enjoy levels of radiation that would kill most humanoids; it even temporarily boosts his strength, allowing him to break through a heavy set of chains and snap one of Pilot's arms off. However, Scorpius is careful to augment his natural resilience by wearing body armor under his coolant suit and planning ahead for almost every conceivable event. Relationships John Crichton Scorpius's main nemesis and obsession, Scorpius wants Crichton for the knowledge of wormholes contained in his brain and pursues him throughout the series in his attempts to secure it. Though initially a straightforward hero-villain dynamic, their relationship becomes more complicated than first appearances suggest: while his pursuit of Crichton is always antagonistic, Scorpius never seems to hate Crichton; even after the destruction of his carrier, he claims that he has no desire to take revenge. In fact, he actually seems to respect Crichton - even like ''him. Wayne Pygram speculates that as a hybrid, Scorpius considers himself alone in the universe, and feels a warped sense of kinship with the fish-out-of-water Crichton as a result. Crichton is understandably reluctant to return the sentiments, having been traumatized over the course of his time in the Aurora Chair and left teetering on the brink of insanity by the neurochip debacle; he also had to watch Gilina, Aeryn and (by extension) Zhaan die at the hands of Scorpius or Harvey, souring negotiations even further. However, Crichton's part in the relationship grows steadily more complex as the series continues: during their times of alliance, Crichton develops an almost amiably sarcastic rapport with Scorpius; though he still suffers instinctive attacks of fear and rage if he suspects his old nemesis is loose on the ship and threatening Aeryn, he grudgingly admits that Scorpius can at least be ''partially '' trusted while aboard Moya; and to Crichton's growing despair, he finds himself learning how to manipulate others much like Scorpius - a revelation that he finds even more depressing when Scorpius himself notices it. At times, the relationship between the two can reach surprising moments of intimacy: while allowed to join Crichton on a test flight through a wormhole, Scorpius confesses that "I've never felt this ''connected, John." And while Crichton is reluctant to admit to any sort of friendship, even he acknowledges the camaraderie at the end of their partnership in Season 3, remarking "We were close." Harvey An artificial intelligence modeled on his personality, coded into a neurochip implanted in John's brain. Initially, Harvey's personality is very similar to Scorpius's, sharing his desire to steal the wormhole knowledge and defeat the Scarrans; after being stranded in Crichton's brain following the Season 2 opening episode, Harvey's personality and priorities begin to shift. He adopts many of the pop culture references he has witness in Crichton's memories, becoming much wackier and more energetic in the process, regularly trading referential barbs with Crichton. He also becomes more neutral in the conflict between two nemeses: his main priority is to preserve Crichton's mind and body (lest he die with him) without caring for his friends or his personal goals. However, he maintained a cautious fear of Scarrans and a healthy respect for Scorpius. This was changed again in Season 4, when Scorpius altered the personality's programming to make Harvey completely loyal to him - essentially remaking him as his operative in Crichton brain once again; however, Harvey still retains the whimsy of his days in Season 3, gladly dressing up in bunny suits and impersonating Albert Einstein in numerous mental encounters. Sikozu Svala Sikozu is a romatic interest for Scorpius, bonding with him over a shared intellect, devious nature, and hatred of Scarrans. Initially befriending him on Moya, the two leave for their new command carrier at the end of Season 4. Not much is known about their relationship beyond that, but it is implied that there was a BDSM element to it. However, during the Peacekeeper Wars, after learning she had made a deal with the Scarrans to free her people from servitude in return for spying on Moya, Scorpius attacks her and abandons her on Qujaga - leaving the relationship effectively dead in the water. Commandant Mele-On Grayza A superior officer within the Peacekeeper forces and a clear rival to Scorpius. Where Scorpius's main concern is defeating the Scarrans, Grayza follows the growing trend towards making peace with the Scarrans, intending to shut down the wormhole project to that end. The two are antagonistic and confrontational throughout their first meeting, and following his fall from grace in Season 4, Grayza takes great pleasure in having Scorpius publicly debase himself before "killing" him. However, thanks to Braca's aid, Scorpius is able to claim Grayza's command carrier and force the commandant out of command; it's not known exactly how Grayza reacted to seeing her rival alive again, but Braca reports that she had to be sedated. During the Peacekeeper Wars, she is able to force her way into the position of acting Grand Chancellor of High Command - just in time to end up in the middle of Crichton's wormhole trap. Following this, Scorpius gets to enjoy watching Grayza forced into a humiliating truce with Emperor Staleek. Captain Miklo Braca An officer who serves under Scorpius for most of the series. Initially serving as a mere Lieutenant, Braca manages to progress to the rank of Captain thanks to his devotion to his superiors. While initially appearing to be only interested in his own career and fully prepared to backstab anyone in the way to success, Braca shows complete loyalty to Scorpius, even after his dressing-down and exile. It is implied that Braca has a deep admiration for Scorpius and possibly even an attraction, showing great emotion on reuniting with Scorpius and taking pleasure in watching him and Sikozu have sex. However, these feelings are never made explicit, nor is the full extent of reciprocation - though Scorpius apparently does return them to at least some extent: upon being reunited with Braca in the fourth season, he greets him by licking his face. Natira Scorpius's first sexual partner and romantic interest. Little is known about their relationship, but it's implied that she took him in sometime after his escape from the Scarran Dreadnaught and helped mold him into the calm, calculating scientist he is today. In return, Scorpius supposedly helped Natira out of some difficulty with the Peacekeepers, claiming that if not for him, her head "among other things" would still be on public display. In the present, she owns and manages a Shadow Depository where Scorpius keeps a small stash of private wealth; she is also willing to provide Scorpius with backup and shelter in the Depository, along with her help in interrogating prisoners - mainly because Natira enjoys torture too much to refrain. However, Natira's assassination attempt permanently sours their relationship, and Scorpius writes her off as a dangerous liability in line for execution - though he does intend to give her a painless death, apparently as a final favor to his mentor and lover. Bialar Crais A Peacekeeper captain convicted for disobeying orders and forced into exile by Scorpius. Scorpius's initial conflict with Crais lies in their mutual desire to acquire Crichton: Scorpius wants him for his knowledge of wormholes, while Crais wants to murder John for the accidental death of his brother. Scorpius shows notable disgust for Crais, who he regards as embarrassment to the Peacekeepers and a disgrace to his rank - particularly for the crimes Crais committed while pursuing Crichton (including the murder of his first officer in an attempt to cover up a cease-and-desist from High Command). Following his loss of home and rank, Crais becomes vengeful towards Scorpius and ends up sacrificing his life to destroy Scorpius's command carrier. Rylani Jeema Dellos Scorpius's unwilling mother. While he never actually met her, she seems to be the one person Scorpius actually shows pure, unconditional love towards. Her rape and death remains his primary motivation for revenge against the Scarrans. In her memory, Scorpius cultivates flowers from the planet she sought refuge, and during Season 3, usually has at least one such flower on display in his quarters. Tauza Scorpius's teacher and guardian. In her attempts to make him "stronger," she would beat, torture, and degrade him, helping to build both his self-hatred and hatred towards his people. She became his first kill and he shows nothing but anger and hatred towards her. 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